Loving “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” has turn into sophisticated of late, however there is not any taking away from the emotional impression of some episodes. Initially airing again in 2001, season 5 episode 16 “The Physique” stays one of the crucial emotionally affecting 45 minutes of TV ever aired — and the one “Buffy” episode star Sarah Michelle Gellar nonetheless cannot deliver herself to look at. The whole season had hinted at Buffy’s mother, Joyce (Kristine Sutherland), probably being killed off, together with her being recognized with a mind tumor in episode 8, earlier than seemingly recovering. However when episode 16 rolled round, audiences have been in for a shock.

Joss Whedon, who wrote the episode, wasted no time hitting viewers within the intestine as Buffy arrives house to search out her mom’s physique on the sofa, having suffered an aneurysm. There was no eldritch beast for Buffy and the Scoobies to cope with on this episode — other than a run-of-the-mill vampire look in the direction of the top — simply the horror of abject grief.

And in response to Whedon, the entire thing was private. Chatting with Metro, he mentioned, “My mom died after I was 27 in a automobile crash. However I did not actually take into consideration mining [the experience] till round season 3. That is the second [Buffy] says ‘I do not know,’ she hasn’t [dealt with this] earlier than. There’s a good sort of ache created from her state of affairs that was significantly private.”

Exploring grief from a private place arguably resulted in one of the crucial memorable episodes of “Buffy” ever made. However for Whedon, it goes past the present itself. He added: “I believe [‘The Body’] might be one of the best factor I’ve carried out and one of the best factor I’ll ever do. And I am okay with that. You understand, there are worse epitaphs.”